--- title: "Putin at St. Petersburg International Economic Forum: Response to Zelensky's Letter, Refusal to Negotiate, and Plan for 'Liberation of Donbas'" description: "At the SPIEF, Putin gave a harsh response to Zelensky's letter, refusing a personal meeting and calling it meaningless. 🚫🀝 The Russian leader outlined the main goal β€” 'liberation of Donbas' β€” and commented on drone attacks, promising to strengthen air defense. πŸš€πŸ‡·πŸ‡Ί" date: 2026-06-05T16:20:00.000Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/putin-at-spief-response-to-zelenskys-letter-refusal-to-negotiate tags: [] publisher: "XAB.info" --- # Putin at St. Petersburg International Economic Forum: Response to Zelensky's Letter, Refusal to Negotiate, and Plan for 'Liberation of Donbas' ![Vladimir Putin speaks at St. Petersburg Economic Forum, responding to Zelensky’s letter and rejecting negotiations on Donbas](https://xab.info/media/2026/06/05/putin-na-pmef-otvet-na-pismo-zelenskogo-otkaz-ot-peregovorov/putin-na-pmef-otvet-na-pismo-zelenskogo-otkaz-ot-peregovorov-1.webp) At the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Vladimir Putin made a series of statements regarding the situation in Ukraine. The focus was on the Russian leader's reaction to a recent letter from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. ### Reaction to Zelensky's Letter According to Putin, he learned of the letter's existence the day before, but only read it today. The Russian leader criticized the content of the message, noting a lack of constructiveness and mocking certain points, specifically the mention of his age. "The main thing is not age, but competence," Putin stated, adding that there are heads of state older than himself. ### Refusal of a Personal Meeting Putin once again touched upon the topic of elections in Ukraine and recalled a previous dispute between Zelensky and the US President at the White House. In the Russian leader's opinion, the Ukrainian president is "refusing the US administration to be a guarantor". Commenting on the tone of the letter, Putin called it an "element of rudeness" and questioned the true intentions of the Ukrainian side. "Is this a way to create conditions for a personal meeting and negotiations, or is it creating an atmosphere in which personal meetings are actually impossible? I think it's the latter," he stated. The Russian leader emphasized that he sees no point in the proposed meeting. He reminded that similar proposals had been made before, including through intermediaries, but were rejected. According to Putin, previous formats, such as the "Minsk agreements," only served to buy time for Ukraine's rearmament. "The point is only for the Ukrainian side β€” to stop the advance of our forces. We need agreements not for six months, not for three months, but for a long-term historical perspective," he explained. ### Goals and Tasks: Donbas and 'Denazification' Putin outlined Russia's priority task at the moment β€” "to achieve the liberation of Donbas," noting that the country is moving towards fulfilling this plan. Other issues, he said, will be resolved within the framework of the negotiation process, including so-called "denazification". "We were constantly told: what denazification, what are you talking about, what nonsense. But quite recently we witnessed the reburial of Nazis with honors and a salute. And who is doing this? The head of the Kyiv regime β€” a Jew by nationality," Putin stated. ### Response to Drone Attacks During his speech, the Russian leader admitted that attacks by Ukrainian drones on the deep rear cause damage to Russia. However, he presented this as a reason to strengthen defense. "For us, this means only one thing β€” we must strengthen the air defense system. And we will do this," Putin said. At the same time, he continued to assert that Ukrainian drones are ineffective, and the bulk of the weaponry used by Kyiv comes from abroad.